[Video]

[espigeonage]

[You're treated to an unsteady, sort of skewed moving view of the inside of the apartment Julien shares with his sister. Visible mostly are the floor, the lower edges of walls and furnishings, and his legs and bare feet as he walks nervously through, but it's decent enough. Not entirely neat but clean, at least. To human eyes. He sounds... well, he's gotten so good at sounding normal, but right now Julien's talking with two nearly-identical harmonizing voices and a sort of flange, and doesn't sound good.]

Is this even working? Shit. I don't - it looks sort of like home but this doesn't make any sense, why is - what - dyes? Ugh, god, look at this. I don't... look, what is even with that! [It's a laundry basket full of haphazardly stacked clothes. Looks totally normal.] Even my hands, that's so gross. [There's a flash of one of them. Clean, with trimmed fingernails.]

That's her handwriting. [A note in blue pen on the kitchen table, saying did the headache pass? he might be sick if he's sleeping in this late and don't you dare try to tough it out, saying she took Valerie to the daycare, and go the other way if he meets sootballs again.] Pens don't come in that... color. Nothing is that color. Shit. Am I even... in Kansas anymore?

[The view starts to turn but stops on a shot that includes the window. Blue midmorning sky, barely a cloud in sight, but his phone trembles and he sounds even worse.]

Oh my god.

Oh god.

- I can't stay here.

[So yeah! Bird vision: not like ours. If the game was a series and people RPed him, this would be used as proof that he doesn't react well stuck in jamjars.]

Comments

( audio )

[argents]

H-hey. Your vision, now...?

[Voice]

[espigeonage]

That's what it looks ^like!

[Unintentional pun, and he doesn't notice. Sounds like he's trying to be upbeat but just managing manic and frightened.]

[argents]

Something like this again... I'm sorry. What can you see?

[espigeonage]

Colors. I don't even... Too many colors, it sounds stupid to put it like that, but - everything's filthy, there's this film on skin and it sticks to everything. My fingernails are glowing.

[argents]

It's just how you can see things now though, right? Like, a vision that belongs to something else. Nothing around you has actually changed?

[ You're safe? ]

[espigeonage]

If it's a vision it's not going aw^ay! The sky- it's- I don't-

[argents]

[ The sudden trill nearly makes him jump. ]

Julien, it's okay! It's... I feel like you'd know this better than anyone, so — what do you trust when you can't trust your eyes?

[espigeonage]

I don't- people. People, and I'm waiting, it's just... _god...

[argents]

"People" is a strong answer.

Is someone coming to you?

[espigeonage]

Strider says he's coming, 'cause I'm not going out in _that. [There's a sound as the heavy door to the exterior is pushed a little open and drawn shut again, and a shudder is clear in his voice.] It's like the sky's on fire.

[argents]

Then don't look at the sky, not yet. At least until he gets there. That just sounds too bright.

[espigeonage]

It's... all patches and rippling and the sun's got- but you're not supposed to see that if there's not an eclipse...

[argents]

[ Curiosity momentarily gets the better of him. ]

What? A ring? Stars?

[espigeonage]

A... halo or _ring, yeah, and there's stars everywhere - I don't know these stars. I mean I don't... know stars but Orion's not there, and - okay everything about this is weird, but!

[argents]

Does it help any? To try and figure out what you're seeing? I think I'm supposed to know stars but I — I don't, not yet. So I can't tell you what they should look like.

[espigeonage]

I'm - I don't know. I should try to figure it out, I should, it's just... so much...

[argents]

One thing at a time, Julien! Just — it's okay to take it one thing at a time.

[espigeonage]

I- okay. _Okay.


I'm sorry, I just, I just don't know what to do.

[argents]

...You don't have to apologize. If closing your eyes and knowing you have to open them back up is scarier than just keeping them open, then...

[espigeonage]

Whenever I try that I can still see. I think - my eyelids are, I don't know, clear or something.

God I'm just falling apart over this...

[argents]

Even if that's so, you're going to get back up!

[espigeonage]

I know, I know. I have to. It can't, I can't stay like this.

[argents]

Describe it to me. As if I'd never seen colors before. Something, anything that's in front of you. Even those stars.

[espigeonage]

Um... shit...

The door, it's just like in a school, the not-important doors outside with like a push bar? You know? Used to be just, gray, or silver right? Now... that's there a little bit but just like... at the edge with the hinge, and not really... gray... Um, metal is - is its own color.

Anyway, the rest, and the door, it's all - just layers and layers of this... I don't know. Kind of pale and... iridescent? almost? Handprints. All over each other so it's kind of opaque but the ones on top they're clear.

[argents]

You can actually see every handprint from whoever's touched it?